| Arkansas, SFA top
winners in Conclave events By Jonathan
Dingler • Nacogdoches TX University of Arkansas at Monticello won first place, and host team Stephen F. Austin State University at Nacogdpches, places second ad the 48th annual Conclave of the Association of Southern Forestry Clubs was held last month at the Nacogdoches Exposition Center in Nacogdoches, TX. Schools participating in the event were Alabama A&M, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana Tech, MSU, NCSU, OSU, Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M, Tennessee, University of Arkansas at Monticello, and Virginia Tech. The event was a chance for the fourteen southern forestry schools to compete in a variety of physical and technical events related to forestry. Technical events included activities like DBH estimation, wildlife ID, wood ID, and dendrology. Physical events included activities like axe throwing, log rolling, pole felling, bow saw, and crosscut saw competitions. Each school was ranked based on how their participants scored in the individual events, and then a combined ranking was given to each school. This year, University of Arkansas at Monticello won first place overall. Stephen F. Austin took second, and the University of Georgia received the third place spot. Louisiana Tech student, Phil Wright, won second place for his school in the pole felling competition. In this event, competitors have ten minutes to chop down a pine log. The goal is not to be the fastest, but to have your log fall on or as close as possible to a nearby stake driven into the ground. Wright scored a direct hit helping his team to score sixth overall in the physical events. In true lumberjack fashion, SFA student Dandy Byers took first place in the women's bow saw competition. The goal of that event is to use a bow saw to cut through an 8x8 sweetgum cant in the fastest time. Byers took just 19.4 seconds to buzz through the log helping her team score second overall in physical events. The weather for the event turned out to be cool and sunny, just perfect for axe throwing and log chopping action. Several spectators turned out to watch the physical events as well as a separate Timbersports Competition hosted by Stihl. The event was even filmed by an ESPN film crew who showed up to video the contest. Next year the event will again return to the piney woods. Louisiana Tech is scheduled to host Conclave in Ruston in 2006. 48th Annual Conclave Final Scores School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Score . . . . . . . . . . Rank U of A , Monticello. . . . . . . . . . . 311 . . . . . . . . . . 1st Stephen F. Austin. . . . . . . . . . . 268.5 . . . . . . . . . . 2nd U of Georgia. . . . . . . . . . . . . 264.5 . . . . . . . . . . 3rd Virginia Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . 217. . . . . . . . . . . 4th Auburn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210.75. . . . . . . . . . 5th U of Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199.5. . . . . . . . . . . 6th Mississippi State. . . . . . . . . . . 198.5 . . . . . . . . . . . 7th Louisiana Tech . . . . . . . . . . . . 191.75 . . . . . . . . . . 8th U of Tennessee. . . . . . . . . . . . 173.5 . . . . . . . . . . 9th North Carolina State . . . . . . . . . 173.5 . . . . . . . . . . 10th Clemson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 . . . . . . . . . . . 11th Oklahoma State . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 . . . . . . . . . . . 12th Texas A & M . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95.75 . . . . . . . . . . 13th Alabama A & M . . . . . . . . . . . . 84.75 . . . . . . . . . . 14th Back |